Unloading device



Jan. 29, 1946. PETROE 2,393,932

I Q UNLOADING DEVICE Filed June 3, 1944 i 7 h i lmslwm. M5

ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 29, 1946 STAT ETS or ies This invention relates to suction means for unloading railroad "cars containing materialsin bulk andis concernedmore particularly with a novel devicelwhich'rmayj be readily. attached to the bot tom ofthe hopperuof. such a-car and-be operated by, suctionlmeans. for unloading: the contents oi thecar.

At 7 the. present/time numerous granular and" pulverulentmaterials, such asgrains, soda ash, ce-* ment andthe-like arezshipped. in bulk in hopper bottom ears and. at their destination, suchx cars areunloaded. by suction conveyor systems. Such a system,v as: ordinarily constructed; includes: a-

source of suction and -ai conveyor "line which; may:

beflexible in parts At the car, means; must be;

providedzfor connecting;.,the :conveyorline to the: bottom. of: the hoppertof theaca-r. in such mannerthat'the material to beconveyedswill pass from; the hopper intothe-lineand-iairimay be admitted;

to mingle with the-material. to facilitate. con veyinga I The present invention is directed to the provision of a novel device which may be readily mounted at the bottom of the hopper of a car to serve as a means for directing the contents of the 'car into the suction line of the conveying apparatus. The new device also provides for the introduction of air into the line and the air admission means is so constructed that it cannot be clogged by the material and the amount of air admitted may be controlled. The new device is of simple, inexpensive construction and it can be quickly installed at the bottom of a hopper and connected to the conveyor line. In use, it requires little attention other than an initial adjustment and, when the unloading operation is completed, the device may be quickly removed and easily transferred and installed on another car.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which by individual sliding .gates I3',keach. of which is, provided on its under surface with a rack l4 meshing, with the teeth ofpinion. I amounted: on-

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of g a hopper bottom car of the type with which the new device may be used;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through a part of the hopper of such a car as that shown in Fig. l, with the new device in operative position; and

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the new device with parts broken away and other parts shown in section.

The new unloading device is intended for use in unloading granular and pulverulent materials from hopper bottom cars, such as that designated l0. Such a car usually ha a plurality of compartments II with hopper bottoms I2. When the compartments are loaded, their bottoms are closed atshaftl f6 supported in any suitable way; By rotationv vvofthe. shaft, the gate can be. moved in its lplane to open-thebottom oi the hoppers B owthe gate-the yhopper is formed i witha spout-H I1 'providedwith a l-flange'v 18 around three sidesofthetspout openingt The flangehas an. internal channel l9 into which may bee-inserted the plate 20 of. the new unloading ,device Plate 2 0 isl of suificient' size to close the low-er end of the spout I1--ands-it=is: formed with-.a central. opening-g 2L. A: casing generally designated 22 isaattached to the lower, surfacemof 'the plate around-opening 2| and the casingiican betadva-n tageously-made of\ a circular'tflange 23; .the: lowerendsot which is'zclosedzbyz-ar plate "24; The-plate: 24 has an: opening;generally; aligned: with'th'e openinga2 l -and1a=tube=25 entersathe casingthrough. the open'ing; in plate 24"a1'l'd'.'i r secured tightly:- to; the wall of that opening. The tube projects into the casing to terminate not far below the plate 20 and with the end aligned with the opening 2i. The tube may be secured in place, if desired, by a plurality of supports 26, welded to the outer surface of the tube and to plate 24. In the cons'truction illustrated, the tube 25 is of elbow form and it is provided with a horizontal extension 2'! which may be connected to the end of the con veyor line in any suitable manner.

Air for conveying is admitted into the casing through inlets 28, which preferably take the form of holes drilled through the flang 23 in a row so that air enters around the entire end of the tube 25. The openings are preferably below the level of the open end of the tube and the flow of air through them is controlled by a damper in the form of a sleeve 29 encircling the flange 23 and formed with openings 30, which are in the same arrangement as openings 28 but slightly smaller.

By turning the sleeve slightly with relation to the flange, the size of the effective passages for air through pairs of openings 28, 30 may be varied as desired.

In order that the air admitted into the casing may flow over the end edge of the tube and enter the interior thereof and the material flowing through openings 2| may not enter the casing rather than the tube and clog the air inlets, a suitable air guide means is mounted within the casing. In the construction'shown, the guide takes the form of an annular plate 3| which is of curved cross-section and is mounted within the casing to overlie the end edge oi the tube. The

tends upwardly and over the end edge of the tube and its inner edge lies within and below the top of the tube. V 7

When the device is'to be used for unloading a car, it is mounted 'in'place, as shown in Fig. 1,

spaced from that plate, the other end 01 the tube being adapted to be connected to a suction device,

a plurality of air inlets through the flange, and

an annular plate of semi-circular section within 7 the flange, the convex surface of the annular plate being secured to the under surface of the first plate and one edge of the annular plate abutting the inner surface of the flange and'the other edge lying within the end of the tube and to close the bottom of the hopper, and its tube 25, 10 spaced from the inner wall thereof, said inlets 21 is connected to the suction conveyor linelif. When the gate 13 is opened, the material in the car flows down to pass through the opening in plate 2!! and enter the end of tube 25. At the'same time, air is drawn into the casing around the end. 515 of the tube and flows upwardlyalong the concave surface of guide plate 3! to pass over the end edge of the tube. The air is thus distributed alongthe entire periphery of the end of the tube an'd'a thorough mingling and mixture of the material and air are efiected. The guide plate extends into the open end of the tubefor a short distance so that the materialflowing through opening 2! is "guidedint'o the end of the tube by the eonvex surfaceof' the plate and the curtain 'of air entering the tube beneath the plate prevents ma;- terial from'escaping intothe casing around the end of the tube. Clogging of the air inlets into the casing by the material is, accordingly,prevented;

lclaimz" T I 1. An unloading apparatus for use with ahopper bottom car, whichcomprises a plate adapted to be attached to the hopper of a car to close the bottom of the hopper, the plate having'an open i in'g 'therethrough, a circular flangeattached to the bottom of the plate to surround the opening,

a plate closing the-lowerend of the flange and having an opening aligned withthat in the first.

plate, a tube mounted in theopening in the per bottom car, which comprises a plate adapted to be mounted on a hopper of the car to close the bottom'of the hopper, the plate having an open- 1 ing therethrough, a circular flange attached to the bottom of the plate and surrounding and spaced from'the' edge of the opening, a plate closing the lower edge of the flange and protruding beyond the flange, the second plate having an opening aligned with the' opening in the; first plate, a tube mounted the opening iii the second plate and having an open endin' alignment with the op ning in the first plate and spaced from that plate, the other end of the tubebeing adapted to be connected to a suction device,

an annular plate of semi-circular ems-section lyingwithin the flange and having itsconvex surface secured a to the under surface of 'the first plate and its outer edge abuttingthe inner sur face of the flange, the inner edge'of thean'nular' plate'entering the open end of the tube and spaced from the inner wall thereof, a plurality of air inlets through the-flange below'the' outer edgeof the annular plate, and asleeve' encircling' the flange to cover the'inlets' and supported on the protruding portion of the second plate, the sleeve having openings therethrough' which may? be aligned with the inlets by angular adjustment of second plate and having an open end lying in 40 the sleeve relative to the flange.

alignment with the opening in the first plate and GREGORY A. PETaoiii. 

